Riders pack MAX Green Line on first day of service

Abby Metty, The OregonianRiders hustle onto the new MAX Green Line near Pioneer Courthouse Square, one of several locations where live music, food booths and family friendly entertainment welcomed the first day of service Saturday. An estimated 25,000 rides were taken during afternoon festivities.

Jacque Morris drove five minutes from her home to Clackamas Town Center mall Saturday and hopped on the new MAX train to see if it could offer an alternative to driving across the Sellwood Bridge to work in Beaverton.

"For those of us that have long commutes, this gives us a lot of options," said Morris, who typically rides the MAX only during winter storms. Her employer buys her a monthly pass, and now she will try the train, even if it means transferring downtown.

"I do buses as little as possible," she said. "They're slow and noisy."

Morris was among tens of thousands of people who descended on downtown Portland, Clackamas Town Center and spots in between to take free rides on the celebratory first day of service for the MAX Green Line.

The region's fifth light-rail project, the Green Line runs on 8.3 miles of new track from Portland State University to the town center mall. Families came from across the region -- Beaverton, Fairview and Vancouver, in addition to Clackamas and Portland -- to take a free ride on the new route and sample a day of family friendly festivities.

The line cost $575.7 million, with the federal government paying 60 percent.

Abby Metty, The OregonianNevin Addy, 2, and his brother Malone Addy, 4, color at a children's event booth at the "Green Means Go" celebration at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. The event marked the opening day of the MAX Green Line, which runs between Portland State University and Clackamas Town Center.

Based on samples from electronic passenger counters, TriMet estimates there were 25,000 Green Line trips Saturday -- including some multiple trips by the same people -- during the festivities from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. As many as 40,000 trips were expected through the end of the service day, about 11 p.m.

Saturday began with ceremonies at Clackamas Town Center and PSU, where elected officials and TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen cheered the new service and the political commitment to make it a reality.

The most powerful mass transit official in the nation came from Washington, D.C., for the pep rally. Peter M. Rogoff, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, spoke at PSU to congratulate the region "on behalf of President Obama."

"This project embodies the core elements of the president's agenda for the nation," Rogoff said. "It's going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's going to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. And it will make an already livable city even more enjoyable."

Many elected officials were sentimental about the past and upbeat about the future.

Metro Council President David Bragdon reflected on blighted areas in Gresham and other parts of the region that were rejuvenated after light rail arrived. It's not just about transportation, he said, "it's the kinds of communities we want to have."

Abby Metty/The OregonianDenise Escola dances to "Love Train," performed by the Get a Life Marching Band, at Pioneer Courthouse Square during the MAX Green Line opening celebration.

"Next it's on to Milwaukie, on to Tigard and on to Vancouver, and we'll keep building these communities," Bragdon said, referring to proposed routes.

The first day went off without any major malfunctions. One MAX operator arrived at PSU with a "no service" sign on his train, disappointing some riders until TriMet volunteers pointed it out to him and he corrected it to say "Clackamas."

Thousands of people came to kick the tires, so to speak, on the new train line. Some came to try the sleek, new Siemens-designed train cars themselves but were disappointed to find TriMet has deployed a mix of old and new trains on the new line. Some of the newest trains are used on existing routes to Hillsboro and elsewhere.

Trains downtown in the early afternoon had plenty of room, but by the time one reached Gateway, the riders started to pack in for the last 10-mile stretch down Interstate 205.

Crowds at Clackamas Town Center waited in a line about 300 feet long, from the train platform to the mall road. But once the arriving train opened for passengers, nearly all were able to board.

Esteban Ortiz was looking for an easier way to get his two sons to the town center mall when he parked at the Gateway Transit Center and decided to ride the new line.

The East Portland dad didn't expect to be in a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, but he said it was worth it for an afternoon at the bookstore.

"Sometimes it's hard to get a parking spot at the mall," he said. "And if it's during the week, the traffic is really bad."

The day's festivities cost about $100,000, mostly paid for by sponsors and in-kind donations, TriMet officials said. A reception Friday night for staff members and officials who were involved in the project was paid for by contractors who built the line.